Weakness was below Fiona. Caving in was far below her. Caving in was something that lesser people did and even though her law firm might have fallen at the hand of a traitorous little fox, who also happened to have married her daughter, Fiona would not bow to the pressure. Not even when they continuously trampled on her fight for re-establishment. She was stronger than everyone else, tougher. Sickness was below Fiona. Sickness was for lesser people too. Throwing up in the bushes was certainly below her.

Even so, she did just that before walking up the isle and through the door of her mansion.

With her breath safely concealed, she walked through the entrance hall of her old home, not bothering to close the door behind her. She headed straight for the kitchen, in desperate need of a glass of water. And then something stronger.

Hank appeared around the corner, most likely called to by the sound of her heels clacking. They say dogs are good at recognizing people by their walks.

"Oh it's you", he said, purposely forgetting to put on his friendly face. Hank loved to hate her. And despise her he did, but not quite as much as she despised him.

"Scram boy, I do not have the energy to look at you. Go fetch me something from you secret liquor stash, will you?"

She didn't give him time to answer, but strode on through the long hall. She found Cordelia in the kitchen.

"You could knock", she said, as Fiona entered. No hello. Fiona wasn't expecting it. She didn't care either. All that mattered was that she got herself something to cool down, before the sweating gave her away. Why did her doctor torment her like this? Did he not know how to lay down a goddamn schedule?

"In my house? I don't think so." She grabbed a glass – thanked God, nothing was ever rearranged in this house – and filled it. She emptied it with Cordelia watching.

"Long flight?"

Fiona ignored her. The nausea still twirled around her insides, making her guts whiter like a mean eel in crowded waters. She went for the living room, almost threw herself into the nearest chair. God, she was exhausted. She longed for a place to lay down and some peace and quiet.

Cordelia came in after her, walking silently somewhere behind her. Rougher steps joined, letting Fiona know that the frightened little boy had crawled out of the shadows again. Fearful little man, he was. How he had ever gathered the guts to sell Fiona out the way he had, was beyond her.

Fiona ignored them both, occupied willing her body to obey, to stop feeling sick and behave.

"Give me a minute with her", she heard Cordelia's soft voice say. Hank left the room with his heavy steps. He sounded like an elephant compared to her. She knew from experience that opposite attraction was a powerful force, but God. Not to mention inherited flaws.

"Christ Cordelia, I don't know how you've managed to find a copy of someone you've never known, but that man…"

"I doubt he's that much like my father", Cordelia said, as she walked into Fiona's view. She was going to say more, but Fiona interrupted her.

"He's exactly like your father. For Christ sake, if you insist on taking from me, why on earth would you go for all the flaws?"

Cordelia sighed and looked away. "Always nice to see you, mother", she muttered.

"You could have done much better you know." Fiona sat up, afraid her body would get the better of her and make her slouch. The motion made her feel like throwing up again, but she refused to acknowledge it. "Look at you. You cover up so much you might as well wear a sheet like a goddamn child for Halloween. You could have done much better than that scruffy fox, if you just let yourself shine. You have my blood, yet you insist on dressing like… I don't even know." She scoffed, the miserable pain adding a taunting sharpness to her voice. "I can imagine it's hard putting together a decent outfit, when you can only ever match it to one eye, but you're not even trying anymore, are you?"

Cordelia chuckled helplessly. "My, that must have been one horrible journey. Why, do you have no one to pick on back in Boston? Is that why you wanted to visit? Just to tear me down? Because a phone call will do next time." She made a motion to get up.

"No, I'm sorry, Cordelia. I didn't mean that. It's been a trying week. I wanted to know how you are doing?"

Cordelia made a noise that resembled both scoffing and laughing. A perfect balance for her daughter. "Really? You just want to know how I am? What's wrong with you, Fiona? You look sick."

"I don't get sick."

But Cordelia wasn't fooled. She watched Fiona with a scrutinizing expression, which made Fiona want to flee the room. If that damn boy had just brought her something to calm her nerves, but obviously she was expected to do everything herself.

"You look terrible. We made up the guest room for you."

"I take it you and boy Foxx is taking up my master bedroom?"

"That one we did redecorate", she just said. She got up and offered Fiona a hand, which Fiona refused.

"I can walk, thank you. Don't act like a servant, it's beneath you."

"Kindness is not beneath anyone, mother." She steadied Fiona as her traitorous body wavered for a second. "You didn't used to get travel sick. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Let go of me." They walked towards the stairs. Cordelia kept her hands to herself, but Fiona could feel her worried gaze on her face. "Tell me of Misty then, if you refuse to talk about yourself. You said she lives in the swamps again?"

A loaded silence came over her daughter. It made Fiona turn – cursing internally at the spinning in her head – to look at her. A hardness had found its way into her eyes, something that was rare for Cordelia.

"You never told me she came back. After I had left for college. Misty told me that she came back for me and you just sent her away."

"In retrospective that was probably a mistake", Fiona admitted. For more than one reason. She started ascending the stairs with dread. Right now, they looked like an undefeatable quest.

Behind her Cordelia laughed, but there no trace of joy in her voice. "That's all you have to say? You sent my best friend away. You know how much it hurt me, when she left."

Fiona turned around on the stairs again. "Why do you think I did it? Christ Cordelia, you were miserable. You didn't eat or sleep for a week. She just abandoned you without warning. Did you think I was going to let her do that over just like that? Do you think me so cruel?"

Cordelia suddenly looked horrified. "I… It didn't even occur to me."

"I can see that. I suppose it's good if you've made up, but don't forget that she hurt you first. She left."

"You should still have told me." Her eyes had turned blank with tears. She didn't move as Fiona took another step up the staircase from hell.

"Perhaps. But how much would it have changed? You got your little husband out of it, did you not? Now, it's already late and it has been a long day. Have Hank bring up my luggage. I trust one of you can conjure up some breakfast tomorrow, now that the servants are either in jail or scattered. Goodnight."

Fiona left her daughter on the stairs, climbed the last of it as sweat broke out on her forehead again. She fought her way to the guest room, went straight for the bathroom, where she turned on the water at full force and used it as cover, when she threw up again.

O0O

Her mother's words still rang in her ears, when Cordelia made breakfast with Hank the next morning. Misty had indeed abandoned her without warning. No matter which way she turned this, no matter what angle she looked from, she couldn't deny this fact. Misty left her without a moment's notice. Cordelia had accepted it, no, she had let it slide, because she didn't want to ruin her newfound joy with Misty, but now it burned again. The old wound, which had taken years to close, gnawed at her heart once again and she was alone with the pain. She could tell neither Hank nor Fiona, because then she would have to reveal the grey zone of friendship, she and Misty had entered.

"You're sure you don't want to talk about it?" Hank offered that morning, as she watched him push the scrambled eggs around the frying pan. She put distance between them, hugged a mug of tea in her hands and tried not to look affected.

"It's nothing, Hank. Just my mother being herself."

She was obviously failing her attempts, because Hank set the eggs aside and went to put his arms around her waist. "Fiona is truly a piece of work. She makes my dad look like a doe-eyed, fuzzy, little bunny. I'm here, if you need me, alright?"

"Thank you", she said and offered him a smile. He gave her one back, along with a soft kiss.

"What a pleasant morning it was until five seconds ago."

Hank sighed against her face. "Speaking of the devil", he muttered before turning around. "Fiona, good morning, huh? Did the flames of hell drag you out of bed too early?"

She smiled at him, her superiority making her almost visibly taller than him. "That's sweet. Be a good boy and cut some melon, will you?"

He was just about to start, when Cordelia stopped him and told him in a low voice: "Don't bother. She's more vicious, when she doesn't feel well." Hank mumbled a few profanities instead and went for the knives.

"I don't understand why you don't have servants", Fiona said, her gaze wandering about.

"Because we don't need servants."

Fiona shot her a skeptic look. She found a high shelf, dragged a finger across the surface and studied the dust hanging from it. "I think 'can't afford it' is what you meant to say."

"Where is that damn knife?" Hank said, a welcomed interruption to Fiona's gloat. "Babe, have you seen the big one I use to cut melon? I can't find it."

"I don't know, Hank." Cordelia hated that it was only nine o'clock and she already sounded tired.

"Dust and missing utensils. I trust you're taking care of my house?"

Hank turned and was just about to give back, when Cordelia broke in: "Stop it! Both of you! Use the smaller one, Hank, we'll find the other later. Mother, please."

Fiona didn't say more. Breakfast became the silence in the wait for another battle cry and as soon as it was over, Cordelia fled the house. Twelve hours was already too much. Her thighs hurt again today. She feared she had cut too deep and that in vain, because she still couldn't keep her coiled up emotions in check. She was halfway on the path to Misty's shack, when she remembered the feeling she woke up with this morning and she contemplated going back. Still, her feet carried her to Misty's door and she knocked without a second thought.

Misty appeared almost instantly.

"Hey", she said with a smile, which quickly fell again as their eyes locked. She let Cordelia enter in silence.

Cordelia hadn't been prepared for the sudden anger rushing through her system the second she saw Misty's face. She couldn't just bring it up like that, they had buried the issue. She had put it to rest. Bringing it up was like waking the dead. Dwelling in the past. Did she really want that?

Misty caught her hand. "Tell me what's botherin' you?"

She thought about it. She looked into Misty's eyes and for a moment, she wanted to scream at her. But she didn't.

"Fiona came back yesterday. She must have caught a virus on the way, because she's sick with something and it's making her more malicious than ever."

"Sorry." Misty leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her temple, the way she often did, when Cordelia was upset. Despite Cordelia's reluctance, it made the room a little brighter for a moment.

"Cup of tea?"

"Yes please. That would be lovely. It's getting a little chilly out there."

"Yeah, it is. Gotta be quick 'bout it if you want the kids to come out here."

"I'm still working on it. I've gotten the parent's approval, now I just need the board to listen. What do you do in the winter out here? Doesn't it get too cold?"

"Na." Misty shrugged as she filled the cups. "Sometimes it's a little cold. But I manage. Some winters I go find work at a bed 'n breakfast and make a deal to stay there for a couple weeks."

The thought of Misty sitting in this shack on a cold winter night made Cordelia want to hug her close. At the same time, she felt the need for distance today. She hoped Misty would accept it. She didn't think she could handle a fight with her.

"I hope you're not too cold. I wouldn't want you getting sick."

"I don't get sick, silly, remember?" Misty's threw her a smile warm enough to thaw a glacier and handed Cordelia the cup. She sat down on her bed as Cordelia had taken the one chair. They often sat like this, just talking and today Cordelia was grateful for the table between them. It made the pull towards Misty slightly less disturbing of her attempt to stay away. When the pull started to take over anyway, she thought of the pain in her skin. She had told Misty it wasn't her fault and in truth, it was only Cordelia's own weakness that steered the blade, but if Misty hadn't left…

"That's right. I forgot."

Cordelia didn't say more and instead Misty told her about one time the river had frozen over and all the alligators had crawled up on land.

"-t'was a mess, Delia, they stomped down all my plants and it was hard keepin' them from attackin'. They get a little mean, when they can't catch things in the water. I had to go away for a while. Luckily, Nick was smart enough to leave too."

"I thought you had a deal with nature? You told me they don't hurt you."

"Well I ain't gonna rub it in their faces. They're animals, Delia, gotta give 'em their space. They were here first."

"You're wonderful", Cordelia just said and she meant it, all hurt aside. She started to relax, so much she forgot to keep her composure about her cuts. Misty seemed to have just that neutralizing effect on every one of her defenses. Cordelia only winced a little and suddenly Misty was eyeing her with those hard crystal eyes.

"Are you hurt again?" Cordelia didn't get a chance to lie, before Misty had gotten up from the bed and kneeled before Cordelia. She put a hand on her knee, looking up and silently asking which side. Cordelia showed her and Misty carefully pulled up her skirt.

It was different this time, yet not. They had acknowledged that tension, which she had felt the last time. They had not given it a name, however, and Cordelia was caught in a new emotion of holding back. Watching Misty do this again pulled out a sense of déjà vu.

It was only three little cuts, but one of them had gotten too close to a larger vein and it had started bleeding again, when she moved just before.

"I'm usually better at avoiding the bleeders", she said with a hint of dry humor. Her blood colored Misty's finger, when they slipped over her skin. Misty only looked up to acknowledge that she had heard her, but didn't answer. Absentmindedly, she licked the blood off her fingers and it started the strangest kind of battle in Cordelia. Suddenly her body warmed up again, and not only underneath Misty's healing hand, but she didn't want to give in this time. She wanted to be the one in control for once. She was still hurt.

The supernatural warmth subsided like last time, but now Misty leaned down and briefly pressed her lips to the new skin. For a moment, Cordelia's reluctance took a backseat to cravings for more contact and the balance threatened to fall out, but she kept composure.

Misty pulled her skirt down again, and with a hand on each leg she rose herself up, until their faces aligned. She did nothing, only looked into Cordelia's face. Cordelia had to fight for self-control again.

"You don't wanna kiss me", Misty said. It wasn't a question. "What's wrong?"

"Who says there's something wrong?"

"No, don't do that. Don't pretend like I don't know you. It might work on Hank or Fiona, but doesn't work on me." She stood up in full height, but kept eye contact, waiting for an answer.

She was right. These little tricks of avoiding the subject had never worked on her.

"You're right of course. As always."

"You're mad at me." Again, not a question. Cordelia sighed in defeat. It took a moment to gather enough courage to look up.

"Can we just not talk about it right now? I'm sorry, but I can't handle more today. Just the thought of going home to those two in a couple of hours gives me headaches. I'm not even sure the house is still standing. They really hate each other. I'm not sure why, honestly. It's a lot of little things, their enormous differences causing friction and all that about them being competition, but I feel like there's something I'm not seeing and I just can't deal with anymore today." She was already tearing up again and she prayed that by some miracle, Fiona would be gone, when she got home. She didn't really care how.

Misty proved herself a savior yet another time with a quiet nod. She disappeared behind her bed for a moment and came back up with a blanket. She made Cordelia stand up and hugged the blanket around her shoulders.

"There. C'mon, I'll show you what plants you oughta tell your kids 'bout 'fore they visit."

Cordelia smiled and found Misty's hand, as they went outside.

O0O

Hank didn't hate his father as much as he may tell people in bars. He loved him in secret and he wasn't idiot enough to believe it wasn't the same case for Cordelia and her dreadful mother. But Fiona had a league of her own. She was the golden champion of sharp insults and Hank couldn't stand to be around her.

One thing above all others made him hate her company: He was terrified she knew what he had done. What part he had played in her defeat. And if she told her daughter, Hank would lose Cordelia's trust forever. He couldn't bear it. The thought agonized him so much he debated falling on his knees and begging the wicked witch not to tell. But he couldn't risk exposing the secret, if it was still that.

So he stayed away as much as possible, hoping his absence would make Fiona less tempted to out him, in case she had the power to. And he didn't lack reason to work. Even on a Saturday. He had recently caught a fault in his own system, a biggie that could seriously hurt his position.

"It's not looking good, Hank." Was his boss' first word, when he confessed.

"I can fix it I promise, just look at those numbers!" He said, pointing at the paper. "It was only a few files that was switched."

"You should have caught this earlier. You seem unfocused. Everything alright with the wife?" The temperature in Hank's blood rose a couple of degrees. He had a sneaking suspicion his father had ratted out the main reason for Hank's lack of focus to his superior. For a moment all Hank wanted to do was shout so what if I'm afraid I'll come home one day and find that she cut too deep this time, does that make me horrible at my job? The truth was it might and he knew it, so he shut up.

"It's fine. I'll do better."

"I hope so, Hank. Don't make it look like it was a mistake promoting you. If you can't handle the extra load, I'm gonna have to let you go."

With that in mind, he worked extra over the weekend, hopelessly trying to prove a point. When he went home hours later, he found the two women in the middle of an argument, the way only they could fight: With lightning flinging from their eyes and voices so cold the entire room dropped below frost degrees. Hank could practically see his own breath, when he neared the kitchen.

"Don't you dare lie to me, child. Tell me you're not so blind, you haven't even considered it?"

"Not everyone is as scheming as you, mother."

"This one is, believe me."

Hank made a point of making himself heard, before he stepped into the kitchen. A disgusting kind of fear crawled around in his guts, as he got closer, because he was afraid the fight was about him this time.

He found Fiona casually leaning against kitchen counter with a drink in hand and Cordelia standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, her eyes dangerously close to tearing up and disrupting the lightning storm. All three of them knew that was the moment, she would lose the fight.

"I don't believe you", Cordelia said. There was a stubborn look in her eyes, which made Hank feel like he was safe yet. The connection between them broke, when Cordelia turned her gaze to Hank instead. Her expression softened and she crossed over to him, ignoring Fiona.

"Hi", she said, kissed him on the cheek and left the room. Hank followed quickly, as the thought of being alone in a room with Fiona right now was downright petrifying.

He gave Cordelia a moment, before going to her. He found her at the desk in their bedroom, correcting assignments from the kids again. He went over and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Did you have a good time with Misty today?" He didn't have to ask where she had fled to this morning. He wished he had a good buddy he could camp out at, but they all still lived in and around Boston. He rarely saw them.

"Yes, it was fine." Hank had learned that this particular word had a thousand different meanings and it was rarely the one he guessed.

"Did something happen? You seem upset about it?" Some of it might have been Fiona doing her magic, but he felt his wife's shoulders tense up the second he mentioned Misty's name. He was used to a much worse reaction, whenever her name was brought up, but now that they had become friends again, it concerned him. If her mysterious friend was giving Cordelia a hard time too, he thought she might just burst. And he didn't know which one to go yell at first.

"It's fine, Hank. It's just… I'm still mad at her for leaving me back then. But I don't feel like talking about it." She finally looked up. "Thanks for asking though. Can you give me an hour to finish these?"

"Sure, babe." He dared leaning down to give her a kiss. She put more emotion into it than he was prepared for. She was acting all strange these days, doing her crazy swings again, but this hint of lust was a lane that hadn't been run in a while, and he sure wasn't one to complain. He was just puzzled. It was as if something had flicked on inside her, that she couldn't quite stop again.